Posted on 09/21/2006 4:15:01 PM PDT by Nachum
NEW YORK - Christine Benvenuto embodies a Jewish ideal.
Her kitchen is kosher, she attends synagogue and has read rabbinic writings and Torah.
But for many American Jewish leaders, she has an even more compelling quality. The mother of three, whose husband was born Jewish, is a convert.
“A lot of things attracted me to Judaism,” said Benvenuto, whose book “Shiksa” chronicles her path to conversion and the choices of other non-Jewish spouses. “I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in New York and my friends were always Jewish.”
As intermarriage continues at a high rate, many community leaders believe the survival of Judaism lies with people like Benvenuto. Over the last year, top rabbis have urged Jews to overcome their fear of offending non-Jewish spouses and suggest outright that they convert.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism, each called for a more assertive approach at national religious meetings of their movements in the last year. Together, their organizations represent about 75 percent of North American synagogue members.
The American Jewish Committee, a leading advocacy group based in New York, released the first major study in nearly two decades of why people decide to become Jewish. Among the central findings is that advocating for conversion works.
Even some Orthodox, who have traditionally discouraged conversion, have joined in.
Rabbi Leib Tropper, who runs a school in Monsey, N.Y., for Jews who lack basic religious education, started Eternal Jewish Family a year ago to train rabbinic courts on proper conversion for non-Jewish spouses. Tropper says hundreds of rabbis have attended the training sessions.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bostonherald.com ...
funny. but your answer and reactions to some other comments here are the same. Jews dont "send" non-jews to "hell". however, we have serious obligations for ourselves. it is adherence to those obligations which is followed by the ability to ascend to great heights of closeness to G-d. non-Jews have it easy to go to "heaven", you have 7 commandments. we have quite a few more.
I just realized that Orthodox Jewish couples AVERAGE over six kids. Talk about picking up the slack for everybody else! Good for them.
Hope you have asbestos PJ's
:->
***That's the problem with major religions. They each preach that all the others will go to hell. ***
Not quite! While the Catholic church says that IF YOU BELIEVE IT TO BE THE TRUE church, but do not embrace it, you will be lost, it also says that you must follow your conscience. We all start from different points and have different influences in our lives.
If it isn't religion, then hot Jewish girls? Where do you sign up? ; )
but once in the marriage, efforts should always be made.
That may be the official position of the Catholic Church, but it wasn't always so. Nor is it the official position of many Protestant branches of the religion.
Nearly all branches claim to be the one true one with various bad consequences for the ones who refuse to agree with them.
Here's what I find curious about a "Christian" "converting" to Judaism. Before the "conversion," the Christian - if he or she is really a Christian - accepts that Jesus is the Son of God. "Converting" to Judaism or any other faith that denies Jesus' standing as the Son of God (and also the Resurrection), means, by definition, denying that Jesus rose from the dead and that Jesus is the Son of God. That's a pretty big 180 for someone to make. If I ever in my life believed that Jesus is the Son of God, to formally, publicly, officially and forever announce that He ISN'T the Son of God (which is what "conversion" in this case, amounts to) would be very difficult, psychologically, to put it mildly.
I don't think the Jews believe in hell...
1. We were taught that Jews were not baptized and could not enter the kingdom of heaven,
2. that we shouldn't be dating non-Catholics and
3. that a kiss over the count of ten was a "mortal" sin.
The third one always stuck in my mind but I'm a problem solver: Count to nine..feign "out of breath"...start again 1,2,3,4,5, 6,7,8,9. Repeat as necessary!!
I remember this flashing into my head when I was about 30...maybe because he was Jewish...Nevertheless, I found myself counting and burst out laughing...He was very nice about it.
Jewish laws, traditions and culture focus on life here on Earth. We don't believe in Hell so for us the purpose of religion is not to secure our "afterlife" but to live a good life here and now.
ping?
***Nearly all branches claim to be the one true one with various bad consequences for the ones who refuse to agree with them.***
What have you been reading, or who have you been listening to? From your posts on FR I know that you are too intelligent to believe that.
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I'm sure I'll get some disagreement on this, but even in the Reform community the desireability of conversion is acknowledged. The issue is the sincerity of the conversion, to convert to please one's spouse isn't acceptable. Apologies if someone brougt the topic up. Like many good Freepers I often post first, read the commentary later.
sure, thanks.
That would not be an issue for the Jewish spouse at least. Non Jews are not consigned to hell.
That isn't true in the case of Judaism, see 37.
Not limited to Orthodox Rabbis. Raising the children as Jews would be a more important issue to the Reform movement. To what extent intermarriage exists in Orthodox/observant congregations/households I don't know. I would think it would be a virtually impossible living arrangement.
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